William Penn Life, 2015 (50. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2015-12-01 / 12. szám
Tibor's Take with Tibor Check, Jr. A Hungarian shopping guide EXPERTS FORECAST Americans will spend more than $600 billion dollars during the holiday shopping season this year. That averages to around $463 per family spent on gifts for friends and loved ones. In the spirit of "Small Business Saturday," I encourage the readers of William Penn Life to make this year a "Hungarian Holiday"~buy someone you know a Hungarianthemed gift or take some Hungarian food or wine to your next holiday get-together. But, where can you find Hungarian products? Never fear, this month's Take is chock-full of Hungarian retail options to consider in the course of your holiday shopping. Please note that this is meant to be a rough guide. If you know of a great shop or venue that I've missed, please write to me so I can include it in future columns. In Magyarország Many towns throughout Europe host quaint and cute Christmas markets set up in a central location within the city limits. If you find yourself in Hungary during the month of December, be sure to check out the following open-air Christmas markets: • Gyor. Gyor-Moson- Sopron County has been hosting a Winter Festival since 1998. The festival runs from Nov. 27 to Dec. 23 and features an open-air Christmas market, lighted tree and other holiday displays. It is located in Megyeház Square, Széchenyi Square and Baross Street. • Budapest is home to a number of holiday markets (see my sister's Lizzy's puzzle at the back of this issue), including two that have gained no small measure of notoriety. The Advent Fair in front of St. Stephen's Basilica runs from Nov. 28 to Jan. 1 and is located along Szent István Tér. The fair plays host to folk artists, light shows, ice-skating rinks and music. Folk crafts, foods and mulled wine are all on offer in addition to many more Christmas treats. The other Budapest fair is also located in District V on the Pest side of the Danube. The Budapest Christmas Fair runs from Nov. 28 to Dec. 31 and is located in Vörösmarty Square. The square hosts more than 100 wooden pavilions, selling Christmas décor, winter clothing, trinkets, woven products, wrought iron decorations, candles and other craft items. Mulled wine, kürtőskalács ("chimney cakes") and roasted chestnuts are available for purchase. Visitors can listen to children's choirs, folklore tellings, brass bands and string orchestras. And, if the cold becomes too much, then you can duck inside the famous Café Gerbaud for a coffee and a scrumptious pastry. In conducting my research, I've also located fairs and markets in Eger, Hévíz, Pécs, Szentendre, Veszprém, Sopron, Szeged, and Debrecen, but I was unable to find much information on them. If you are in the area, keep an eye out for them. New York If the hustle and bustle of Fifth Avenue becomes too much, head on over to the Upper East Side to the Budapest Café. Or, if you are near Columbia University, check out The Hungarian Pastry Shop for some baked goods. If you are away from Manhattan, check out Andre's Hungarian Bakery in Queens. If you need some kolbász or szalonna, visit the Hungarian Meat Center in Passaic, N.J. Magyar Apparel (a.k.a. New York Pince) offers Hungarian clothing out of Green Brook, N.J. Magyar Marketing-an old standby of Midwestern lineage—now operates outside of New York City as well. California If you are in Los Angeles, be sure to stop by Otto's Import Store and Delicatessen, which is an old Hungarian standby in Burbank. Valley Hungarian Sausage in Littlerock and International Meat & Deli in Garden Grove can be counted on to provide delicious salamis and sausages. If you aren't in the mood to cook this 6 0 December 2015 ° William Penn Life Illustration © Can Stock Photo Inc./redcollegiya
